Eating the kinds of bizarre foods TV omnivore Andrew Zimmern puts in his mouth each week was once the hapless lot — never the intent — of 19th century adventurers like Sir Richard Burton, who while trekking from Zanzibar into the Congo would have given anything for some good British beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Traveler’s illnesses will lay low, even kill, guys who count themselves manly if they gulp down stinky tofu in Taipei or maggots in the Yucatan. Ernest Hemingway would have shot anyone on safari who suggested he drink the blood of a water buffalo. It’s bad enough just dealing with unwashed lettuce in a salad in Madrid, much less shrimp pulled up from the putrid rivers of Phnom Penh. And you can just as easily come down with Delhi Belly in Mumbai as you can Montezuma’s Revenge in Mexico City.

You’re never going to escape it entirely, not on the Champs Élysées or the Via Veneto, though you can take precautions by watching out for certain foods that have a greater chance of bringing you to your knees talking to Ralph on the big white phone.

The basic problem is that if you grew up in the U.S., no matter how healthy your are, you haven’t developed defenses against all exotic bacteria. And the stress of travel, the different schedules and missed routines can decrease your immune system so that you’re ripe to pick up bacteria from something as innocent-looking as a stalk of celery. Even a cold, uncooked soup like gazpacho can mean trouble. And because it’s impossible to know what the animal you intend to eat was eating before it got to you, odd species like snake and rats are not to be trifled with.

The sickest I've ever been from food poisoning was from a bad oyster po' boy in the Florida Keys. Spent 2 days of my vaca curled up by the toilet.
In no way did it change my eating habits here or abroad.

Fully agree with #7 of the article, no spit drinks for this guy.

Max M said:

I actually have a phobia of Waffle House. Seriously not kidding.

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you'll have to come out drinking with @vickers and I, we then plan to hit Waffle House after a good night. Perhaps liquid courage will help the phobia

Worst food poisoning for me was in grad school at Baylor. My wife and I went to this "amazing" little breakfast place, I had some bacon that wasn't "amazing", and 15 minutes after we left puked for the next 2 hours...good times.

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